The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (2014)

A construction crew takes a lucrative tunnelling contract that could bring financial security if the journey does not undo them first. Chambers gives paperwork, repairs and the practical business of living with colleagues room beside the larger political risks. Choose this opening Wayfarers novel for ordinary professional cooperation across different species. Its episodic rhythm spends more time on the crew’s relationships than a tightly plotted thriller would, and that is much of its appeal here.